Redentore
by Fuyu Tatsu
Summary: "Akatsuki-kun! Lemme go; I got to serve the others!" Akari wailed as Akatsuki pulled her closer to his chest. "Mmmnn…no…" He murmured back, burying his nose in rose colored tresses. There were snickers from the others, who viewed the pair in amusement.


Redentore

FT: My first Aria/Aqua fanfic. Akatsuki and Akari.

I never owned this.

Rating: Older Teen, for drunken Akatsuki.

Romance and Humor.

Summary: "Akatsuki-kun! Lemme go; I got to serve the others!" Akari wailed as Akatsuki pulled her closer to his chest.

"Mmmnn…no…" He murmured back, burying his nose in rose colored tresses. There were snickers from the others, who viewed the pair in amusement.

It was Redentore on Aqua. Akari looked on with faint pleasure as the charter boat pulled up to the Aria building. It was a bit larger than the one Alice, Aika and she were given for the Thanksgiving get-together. She smiled at the memory. Ai was working her hardest, and Akari finished preparing the food for the evening. It was a touch warmer this time around, but she smiled as her phone rang.

'It must be Alice.' She thought. She picked up, and sure enough, it was Alice.

"Hello Alice-chan. How are you?"

"I'm alright. I have Athena-senpai with me; we're going to pick up Woody-san and Akatsuki-san from the station right now." Alice told her, the Prima being as soft-spoken as ever.

"Thank you very much Alice-chan!" Akari told her, beaming.

"It wasn't a problem Akari-senpai." There was a pause. "I have to go- AH! ATHENA-SENPAI! DON'T DO THAT YOU'LL FALL!" the phone clicked.

Akari smiled with an ill-contained amusement. Alice still worried about Athena-senpai, even though there wasn't a need for it. As soon as she hung up, the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hello Akari-chan!" It was Aika, and she sounded as if she were on the very verge of swooning.

"I'm guessing you have Al-kun with you?"

"Wha-NO SAPPY LINES ALLOWED!"

"Sorry Aika-chan. You always sound so happy when you're with Al-kun." Akari laughed. It was a rare day for all of them, Undines, Gnome, Salamander, and Sylph alike. Regrettably, there would be some noticeable absences this year. Grandma and Mr. Postman had passed away a few years back, and while they would be missed, Akari was happy to know them. Akatsuki's older brother was another, but he was on Manhome with a business partner.

She missed the last few words that Aika had said.

"What?"

"Airhead. I asked if you got that one wine we served at the last Redentore we held. Akira loved it."

Akari laughed lightly.

"Of course. I also got the peach sake Alicia-san likes so much. But there are enough refreshments to last several Alicias." Akari paused and quickly counted the bottles that she had stocked up on. She had just a little over twenty.

"Yes, I have enough." She confirmed.

"Good. I'm bringing more, since we have no idea what her husband is like." Aika told her. There was background noise, like somebody was humming to themselves. Akari felt a wider grin spread across her face. The tune was simple, just four notes, but she could place the hummer.

"I need to finish a couple things up, Aika-chan. Tell Al-kun I said hello." Akari restrained her laughter just long enough to hear an indignant squawk from her friend, and quickly hung up. Laughing, she checked on Ai, who was busy trying to center the green and gold tablecloth on the long table.

"Is everything alright?" Akari asked.

"Just fine! I almost got it!" Ai replied, pulling the silky fabric just a touch too far to the left. It slid smoothly off the polished wood, and Akari helped her with the fabric, getting it held in place with a small but heavy table piece. After that, it was a simple matter of setting the table, hanging the last decorations, and bringing in the food and drink.

Just as Ai set the last dish of shrimp down, Akira appeared, with Alicia and her husband.

"Ah! Akira-senpai, Alicia-san! It's so good to see you!" Akari embraced both of them, Akira grinning like a mad-woman, Alicia smiling as sweetly as ever. She introduced her husband, a man who had long evaded meeting Akari, but he was very pleasant, and his smile was warm.

"It's an honor to meet you Lady Aquamarine." He said in a low voice, addressing Akari by her Undine title.

"It's an honor to meet you as well Matthew-san. I hope you'll enjoy the Redentore." She replied.

"Ah! Akari-san! President Aria is stuck!" Ai called, panic rising in her voice. Akari looked over, and Aria had somehow trapped himself in the frame holding the mosquito mesh and the boat frame.

"How did… never mind. Let's get you out President Aria." Akari managed to open the gap a little wider, and in a motion much like a pea being forced out its shell, Aria popped out of the window.

"You should be more careful President Aria, you can get hurt otherwise." Akari told him, ruffling his fur lightly. She stood and turned, helping Akira, Alicia and Matthew into the charter boat. As Matthew steeped in, Alice appeared, with Woody and Akatsuki in tow. President Maa was perched on Alice's shoulder, launching off as soon as she laid eyes on Aria. Aria panicked, like he always did, and the two of them raced around the floor, much to the amusement to everybody watching.

Akari held out her hand to Alice, who gracefully accepted, and stepped in with the natural grace of an Undine. Woody followed, almost tripping and falling on his face as he got aboard. Akatsuki was next, and as Akari helped him aboard, she felt the numerous callouses on his hands. It was a lovely sensation really, but the contact broke too soon for her to truly enjoy it. A few moments later, Aika and Al appeared, holding hands and looking almost deliriously happy.

Ai helped them on, as a tiny test, and Akari cast off, guiding the boat with ease.

For the next few hours, Akari enjoyed the atmosphere, watching her friends and their chosen partners enjoy themselves.

It was all fun and games until Akatsuki flopped backwards and rolled over onto his side, seemingly asleep. Akira laughed victoriously, only to have it change to a wail when she saw that Alicia was still relatively sober.

"Akatsuki-san?" Ai asked nervously. She tapped his shoulder, but only got a sleepy grunt in response.

"Na no da… don't worry about it Ai-chan. Akatsuki doesn't have much tolerance for alcohol, so we usually don't let him drink, yo." Woody told her, patting her on the shoulder. Ai nodded, still biting her lip.

The party continued, and when it was nearly time for the fireworks, Akari knelt beside him.

"Akatsuki-kun…" She began, her hip brushing his lower back.

"Mmmnnnrg…" He mumbled.

Akari leaned over him, bracing her right hand in front of him so she could see his face.

"It's time to wake up."

Akatsuki rolled over onto his back, reaching up to rub his eyes.

"Ah, you're awake!" Akari said triumphantly. Akatsuki seemed to register her, and put a hand on her shoulder, or rather, the nape of her neck.

"Are you-MPH!"

In a single swift motion, Akatsuki managed to pull her down and turn back on his side, one hand under her chest, where his calloused hands rubbed her ribcage, the other buried in her hair. Her chest was pressed against his, but her legs were over his hip, and –thankfully- her spilt skirt hid most of her legs. Her face heated up, realizing that in her moment of off-balance, she had both of her hands pressed firmly to his chest.

"Akatsuki-kun! Lemme go; I've got to serve the others!" Akari wailed as Akatsuki pulled her closer to his chest.

"Mmmnn…no…" He murmured back, burying his nose in rose colored tresses. There were snickers from the others, who viewed the pair in amusement.

"This isn't funny Akatsuki-kun. Please let me go." She asked again, her cheeks burning. There was a hand on her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Al, who looked as if he was trying to remove Akatsuki's hand.

"Let her go. You're drunk." Al commented. Woody laughed.

"Na no da… Al, you remember as well as I do that he won't let go, yo." He told the Gnome.

"True, but it's still slightly indecent to grab at a young lady when you're inebriated." Al responded with a tone of heavy regret. He pulled his hands away and rested them on his knees.

"His hand is gripping the fabric of your dress Akari-chan. If I were to pull his arm away with any type of force, it would undoubtedly rip the fabric." He grimaced, with no small amount of despair.

"Aw, c'mon, he can't be that strong." Akira drawled.

Al glanced over at her.

"Actually he is. He used to cling to his sheets as a child and if you tried to take them away from him, it would rip because of his grip. I've lost a couple shirts that way."

"Na no da… so have I. Akatsuki… well… he can be clingy, yo." Woody got an expression of nostalgia, but quickly returned to the present. "All we can hope for is that he'll loosen his grip. Na no da… sorry Akari-chan."

"S'okay." She mumbled. Akira planted her elbows in Akatsuki's exposed side, but all he did was wince, and curl closer to Akari, his lips starting to brush the shell of her right ear.

"Oh, oh? What is this? I think Akatsuki might be dreaming of a certain fairy~" She sang knowingly.

"Noo…" Akatsuki grumbled. Woody bit his lip.

"Na no da… you might want to be careful, yo. Akatsuki doesn't have an inhibitor when he's drunk, so he might say something you don't like, yo." He warned. Al blanched.

"I forgot about that."

"He's asleep." Akira retorted. Then she rested her full weight on her elbows.

"Akatsuki…" She cat-called, softly enough to be over-looked, but the charter boat was dead silent. "Who do you love most?"

"Go away." He responded, his voice slurred. Akari flailed her feet a little.

"Please Akatsuki-kun, let me go."

"No…" He told her, pulling her close enough for her chest to throb in time with his heart.

"Akatsuki-kun, if you don't let me go, I can't serve the others." She pleaded.

"Mm-mm."

Akira grinned.

"I don't know. You're serving up a lovely helping of entertainment right now Akari-chan."

Akari felt the redness in her face start spreading across her body. Her arms trapped, she could only kick her feet frantically.

"A-AKIRA-SENPAI! DON'T TEASE ME LIKE THIS! IT ISN'T FUNNY!" She cried out, trying to wriggle out of Akatsuki's grip to no avail.

"Stop." Akatsuki's hand moved to her lower back, and Akari froze, feeling his calloused fingers through the thin cloth of her summer uniform. It was a wonderful feeling really, his hands were large, and with one splayed across her spine, she realized just how tiny she was compared to him. Akira raised both brows, mischief lighting in her eyes.

"Oh, Akatsuki-kuuun…" She sang; enjoying Akari's flushed features.

"What Gapatchin Senior?" He grunted, his face shifting slightly against Akari's,

"Cute. Who are you holding right now?" She asked.

"AKIRA-SENPAI!" Akari cried her head dizzy with what seemed like double the amount of blood her body normally carried.

"Th…ne I l…e best." He replied, most of his words muffled by his shifting so his cheek rested firmly against Akari's, and her hip nestled in the hollow of his stomach.

"What?" Akira pressed down with her elbows.

"The one I love." He repeated, much clearer. Silence followed his words.

"Na no da… he's really drunk, yo." Woody broke the silence first. "Don't mind him Akari-chan, yo. He won't remember come morning, yo."

Akari nodded, but the feeling of Akatsuki's cheek against hers sent ripples through her system.

"Oh, oh? Do you know who it is?"

"Not you."

Laughter met that response, and Akira's eyebrow twitched on anger.

"Who is it?"

"I have her. I'm… never going to let her…" Akatsuki's words dropped off, but his face turned again, and Akari felt his lips graze her skin. Go. It last word in his sentence.

"Hey. Wake up." Akira pouted, digging her elbows into his side. Akatsuki winced, but other than that, there was no response. Akari shifted a little, her feet were starting to feel tight, and a muscle cram was on its way if she didn't move.

"Ara, Ara… how about you stay right there Akari-chan. We can take care of ourselves." Alicia leaned into her vision.

"Oh-okay…" She replied sheepishly. Akatsuki's body, while hard with lean muscles, was surprisingly comfortable, and he was deliciously warm. Akari felt her eyelids dropping, and in a short time, she was sound asleep, her body almost unconsciously pressing closer to Akatsuki, as if she was trying to meld into his body.

Woody smiled, knowing full well that Akatsuki wasn't nearly as half as drunk as everybody thought he was. In fact, he wasn't drunk at all. But the others, save Al, who also knew of Akatsuki's insane tolerance, didn't know that tiny fact.

Woody also knew that Akatsuki had all but pounced on him when he said he had brought an invitation from Akari.

This, he knew with no trace of doubt, had been coming for a long time.

He turned his attention to the half sleeping couple (he could see that Akatsuki was awake, he wasn't the Salamanders' best friend for nothing) alone, and turned his attention outside. With the first loud bang, he knew that everybody was riveted to them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Akatsuki turn his head slightly and brush a gentle kiss on Akari's cheek.

Oh yes. It was a long time coming, but this was well worth the wait.

Akari woke in her room, her back blanketed with warmth, her head tucked under somebody's chin. Memories of last night flooded her face, and she almost pulled away when Akatsuki's arms tightened around her waist.

"Stay." He breathed. Akari froze. He didn't sound hung over, he sounded well rested.

"Um… Akatsuki-kun…" She felt her skin burn, like it was on fire. Last night… was he drunk or sober? She didn't know.

"Hush, okay? I know." Akari bit back a squeak just in time. Akatsuki's lips brushed her jaw.

Akari twisted in his grip, the question 'know what?' emerging, but Akatsuki had expected that; he kissed her, square on the lips, catching her off-guard.

Akari gasped, but he pulled away just enough to look her in the eye.

Akari was sure she looked like a tomato. But Akatsuki's eyes were focused on hers.

"I wasn't lying last night." He whispered.

Akari felt her breath whoosh out of her lungs.

"B-b-b-b-but… I… I-I-I… I thought you loved Alicia-san." She stammered out.

"She's a married woman now. Besides, when I thought about it, she had been taken long before I ever fell in lust with her. Every time I come to the surface… I was always with you, and I knew more about you than I knew about her. It'll sound sappy, but I think you enraptured me far more than she ever did. She's a lovely woman, but she's not mine. Never has, never will." His eyes had drifted towards the window, where dawn was starting to break, but they returned to her. "But you… I think it's fair to say you're probably the better match for me."

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.

"I'm giving you everything Akari." He told her, dark eyes intense. "Absolutely everything. If you want me to remain your friend, I can live with that, just know that you… you are the only person I constantly think about."

Akari started to tear up. True, his words were a little dated, but she heard the sincerity of them, and spontaneously, threw her arms around his neck to pull him down to kiss him.

He didn't fight it. Akari had won a long time ago.

They stayed like that until they were called down for brunch.

FIN!

Okay, I've read Aria and Aqua several times now, but it never ceases to amaze me with the accuracy of the locations and some of the festivals. This little story started as a distraction from my other work (job applications, collage forms, current books, other fanfics, etc., etc.), but it seduced me into writing a fully-fledged fanfic. I must tell you that this is an actual first; I started and ended in less than four hours with this baby. I hope you enjoyed, and please review!

Love,

Fuyu Tatsu


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